Review: Drop by Katie Everson

An addictive UKYA debut that offers an honest, moving and important look at drug abuse among teenagers and the desire we feel to fit in.

Drop summary

I wasn’t always like this. I know what you’re thinking: druggie, junkie, wreckhead, trashbag. But I’m not sticking needles in my arm or sleeping on the streets, or stealing to feed the habit. I’m not one of those.

Carla has just moved to London and starts at yet another school; she is desperate to fit in. Though she makes a couple of friends, she soon meets the charismatic, good-looking Finn and their whirlwind romance begins. Carla, an A student and gifted artist, lets her schoolwork slip as she enters Finn’s world – a world of partying and drugs. Friends tell her that Finn is no good – even his brother, Isaac. But Isaac has an ulterior motive, doesn’t he? Is either brother right for Carla?

Drop book trailer

My thoughts

After hearing Katie read a few pages from this stunning debut novel at a blogger event in June, I couldn’t wait to get stuck in and read it. The snippet that she shared immediately captivated me, and I also couldn’t stop staring at that incredible cover (it might just be my favourite book cover ever).

So it didn’t surprise me that I raced through Drop and spent every moment I could wrapped up in its pages. I was totally addicted, which seems fitting when you consider the subject matter.

Drop is the only book I’ve ever read that honestly recounts what it’s like to be involved with drugs as a teenager, and gives an insight into why someone might end up in that situation in the first place. I’ve never taken drugs myself, but I still understood how real Drop was. I could feel everything that Carla was feeling – I felt high, then dizzy, then sick and paranoid and guilty, and that’s all down to Katie’s incredible writing style.

You would never know that this is Katie’s debut novel. Each sentence is beautifully crafted and conjures up detailed images through the use of meaningful metaphors that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the way the romance played out – it seemed a little bit rushed towards the end – but there’s much more to this novel than boys, so it didn’t take away too much from my overall amazing reading experience.

I think this book is really important. It could help anyone that is vulnerable avoid finding themselves in the same situation as Carla, and it could also help anyone who has been in a similar situation realise that they are not alone and that they have the opportunity to turn things around.

Katie Everson’s debut is one to watch, and I can envision it making its way onto the big screen. I can’t wait to read more from this powerful new voice in YA.